Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos, together with partners, plans to invest more than 33 bln rubles ($453 mln) to develop high-speed tram traffic at the Vostochny cosmodrome and in nearby settlements, Trend reports citing TASS.
"The volume of investments is 33.3 billion rubles (31.8 billion rubles ($436 mln) - capital expenditures, 1.5 billion rubles ($21 mln) - rolling stock)," the document says.
According to the document, investments will be equally divided between Roscosmos (together with an external investor), the authorities of the Amur region and Gazprom. At the moment, the possibility of reducing the cost of the project is being considered.
According to the plan, tram traffic should connect the Vostochny cosmodrome with the Tsiolkovsky closed administrative territorial unit, the airport, which is being built there, the cities of Svobodny and Shimanovsk, as well as with the Amur gas refinery plant. The projected passenger traffic is 5 million people a year.
In early February of 2020, Roman Novikov, general director of the Ust-Katavskiy Carriage Works (UKVZ, part of Roscosmos) announced that a preliminary agreement had been reached to launch tram traffic at the Vostochny cosmodrome. According to him, modern five-section low-floor tram cars will be used to transport people.
A representative with UKVZ later told TASS that all trams will be new generation models and the use of unmanned technologies is planned.